Naphthenic acid corrosion has plagued the refining industry for many years. This corroding material consists of predominantly monocyclic or bicyclic carboxylic acids with a boiling range between 350.degree. and 650.degree. F. These acids tend to concentrate in the heavier fractions during crude distillation. Thus, locations such as the furnace tubing, transfer lines, fractionating tower internals, feed and reflux sections of columns, heat exchangers, tray bottoms and condensors are primary sites of attack for naphthenic acid. Additionally, when crude stocks high in naphthenic acids are processed, severe corrosion can occur in the carbon steel or ferritic steel furnace tubes and tower bottoms. Recently interest has grown in the control of this type of corrosion in hydrocarbon processing units due to the presence of naphthenic acid in crudes from locations such as China, India and Africa.
Crude oils are hydrocarbon mixtures which have a range of molecular structures and consequent range of physical properties. The physical properties of naphthenic acids which may be contained in the hydrocarbon mixtures also vary with the changes in molecular weight, as well as the source of oil containing the acid. Therefore, characterization and behavior of these acids are not well understood. A well known method used to "quantify" the acid concentration in crude oil has been a KOH titration of the oil. The oil is titrated with KOH, a strong base, to an end point which assures that all acids in the sample have been neutralized. The unit of this titration is mg. of KOH/gram of sample and is referred to as the "Total Acid Number" (TAN) or Neutralization Number. Both terms are used interchangeably in the application.
The unit of TAN is commonly used since it is not possible to calculate the acidity of the oil in terms of moles of acid, or any other of the usual analytical terms for acid content. Refiners have used TAN as a general guideline for predicting napthenic acid corrosion. For example, many refineries blend their crude to a TAN=0.5 assuming that at these concentrations naphthenic acid corrosion will not occur. However, this measure has been unsuccessful in preventing corrosion by naphthenic acid.
Naphthenic acid corrosion is very temperature dependent. The generally accepted temperature range for this corrosion is between 205.degree. C. and 400.degree. C. (400.degree. F. and 750.degree. F.). Corrosion attack by these acids below 205.degree. C. has not yet been reported in the published literature. As to the upper boundary, data suggests that corrosion rates reach a maximum at about 600.degree.-700.degree. F. and then begin to diminish.
The concentration and velocity of the acid/oil mixture are also important factors which influence naphthenic acid corrosion. This is evidenced by the appearance of the surfaces effected by naphthenic acid corrosion. The manner of corrosion can be deduced from the patterns and color variations in the corroded surfaces. Under some conditions, the metal surface is uniformly thinned. Thinned areas also occur when condensed acid runs down the wall of a vessel. Alternatively, in the presence of naphthenic acid pitting occurs, often in piping or at welds. Usually the metal outside the pit is covered with a heavy, black sulfide film, while the surface of the pit is bright metal or has only a thin, grey to black film covering it. Moreover, another pattern of corrosion is erosion-corrosion, which has a characteristic pattern of gouges with sharp edges. The surface appears clean, with no visible by-products. The pattern of metal corrosion is indicative of the fluid flow within the system, since increased contact with surfaces allows for a greater amount of corrosion to take place. Therefore, corrosion patterns provide information as to the method of corrosion which has taken place. Also, the more complex the corrosion, i.e., in increasing complexity from uniform to pitting to erosion-corrosion, the lower is the TAN value which triggers the behavior.
The information provided by corrosion patterns indicates whether naphthenic acid is the corroding agent, or rather if the process of corrosion occurs as a result of attack by sulfur. Most crudes contain hydrogen sulfide, and therefore readily form iron sulfide films on carbon steel. In all cases that have been observed in the laboratory or in the field, metal surfaces have been covered with a film of some sort. An analysis of a typical film is shown in FIGURE 1. In the presence of hydrogen sulfide the film formed is invariably iron sulfide, while in the few cases where tests have been run in sulfur free conditions, the metal is covered with iron oxide, as there is always enough water or oxygen present to produce a thin film on the metal coupons.
Tests utilized to determine the extent of corrosion may also serve as indicators of the type of corrosion occurring within a particular hydrocarbon treating unit. Metal coupons can be inserted into the system. As they are corroded, they lose material. This weight loss is recorded in units of mg/cm.sup.2. Thereafter, the corrosion rate can be determined from weight loss measurements. Then the ratio of corrosion rate to corrosion product (mpy/mg/cm.sup.2) is calculated. This is a further indicator of the type of corrosion process which has taken place, for if this ratio is less than 10, it has been found that there is little or no contribution of naphthenic acid to the corrosion process. However, if the ratio exceeds 10, then naphthenic acid is a significant contributor to the corrosion process.
Distinguishing between sulfidation attack and corrosion caused by naphthenic acid is important, since different remedies are required depending upon the corroding agent. Usually, retardation of corrosion caused by sulfur compounds at elevated temperatures is effected by increasing the amount of chromium in the alloy which is used in the hydrocarbon treating unit. A range of alloys may be employed, from 1.25% Cr to 12% Cr, or perhaps even higher. Unfortunately, these show little to no resistance to naphthenic acid. To compensate for the corroding effects of sulfur and naphthenic acid, an austenitic stainless steel which contains at least 2.5% molybdenum, must be utilized. See Craig, NACE Corrosion 95 meeting, paper no. 333, 1995. To avoid the cost of the use of heavy metal alloys throughout the hydrocarbon treating unit for the prevention of corrosion, effective alternatives have been sought.
One approach involves blending low acid number oils with corrosive high acid number oils to reduce the overall neutralization number.
An alternative approach is to utilize an effective chemical treatment to combat naphthenic acid corrosion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,518 discloses choline as an effective agent for neutralizing naphthenic acids found in certain fuel and lubricating oils.
Another approach to the prevention of naphthenic acid corrosion is the use of a chemical agent to form a barrier between the crude and the equipment of the hydrocarbon processing unit. This barrier or film prevents corrosive agents from reaching the metal surface, and is generally a hydrophobic material. Gustavsen et al. NACE Corrosion 89 meeting, paper no. 449, Apr. 17-21, 1989 details the requirements for a good filming agent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,254 discloses one such film forming agent, sulfonated alkyl-substituted phenol, effective against naphthenic acid corrosion.
Phosphorus-containing naphthenic acid corrosion inhibitors are disclosed in Zetlmeisl et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,994. Dialkyl or trialkyl phosphites alone or in conjunction with a thiazoline were used to prevent corrosion on metal surfaces.
Phosphate and phosphite mono- and di-esters in small amounts are disclosed as antifoulant additives in crude oil systems employed as feedstocks in petroleum refining in Shell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,050. Inorganic phosphorus-containing acids and salts in small amounts were also found to be useful as antifoulants in crude oil systems in Shell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,051. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,024,050 and 4,024,051 are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,013 issued to Petersen et al. on Jan. 26, 1993 describes another method of inhibiting naphthenic acid corrosion of crude oil, comprising introducing into the oil an effective amount of an organic polysulfide. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,013 is incorporated herein by reference. This is another example of a corrosion-inhibiting sulfur species. Sulfidation as a source of corrosion was detailed above. Though the process is not well understood, it has been determined that while sulfur can be an effective anti-corrosive agent in small quantities, at sufficiently high concentrations, it becomes a corrosion agent.
Phosphorus can form an effective barrier against corrosion without sulfur, but the addition of sulfiding agents to the process stream containing phosphorus yields a film composed of both sulfides and phosphates. This results in improved performance as well as a decreased phosphorus requirement. This invention pertains to the deliberate addition of sulfiding agents to the process stream when phosphorus-based materials are used for corrosion control to accentuate this interaction.